This is in reference to the Aug. 14 Times news report “Habitat homes: Fewer fill rural areas.”

Many of our St. Cloud community leaders and churches have gotten on board to support Habitat for Humanity’s mission, which is very compelling.

However, the city of St. Cloud is now wrestling with a much more damaging long-term problem that Habitat building new houses cannot possibly keep up with and can actually be a detriment to an existing neighborhood.

Our core neighborhoods, especially the south side populated by mostly low- and middle-income families that have raised generations here, are being severely threatened by circumstances, some of which are within the city’s control and some not.

In 2008, Mayor Dave Kleis formed the St. Cloud Neighborhood Best Practices Task Force. Kleis appointed community-minded individuals to serve.

One major discussion focused on considering a new approach to remove and renovate vacant, tagged properties.

It was reported that unoccupied homes are a major problem for St. Cloud.

It is now 2014, and the problem has proportionally increased.

The 2013 St. Cloud Community Housing Study has startling data on vacant homes.

In 2000, St. Cloud had 597 vacant homes. In 2010, there were 1,899. This is a sea change with many future ramifications.

This 2008 task force was formed for the following purpose: “The St. Cloud City Council has determined that the preservation of city neighborhoods is essential to the public health, safety and welfare of its citizens.”

Our southside neighborhoods are facing obstacles never seen before. Social engineering has quickly changed the demographics. Residents are facing an uncertain future.

Due to this tsunami of change, it is time to re-evaluate the logic of Habitat for Humanity building a large, new six-bedroom home on prime development land on Clearwater Road while many vacant homes (many of them quite large) are located in very close proximity.

As that Aug. 14 news report said from the opinion of Jan Plimpton, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota: “While Habitat is best known for building homes, sometimes rehabbing an owner-occupied house to keep the available housing stock in good condition is the best thing to do in smaller communities.”